The enchanting town of Kalkan is one of the most beautiful of the coastal towns on Turkey’s gorgeous turquoise Lycian Coast. Kalkan remains an unspoiled haven of lush nature, historic architecture, bougainvillea-splashed streets, rooftop restaurants and brilliant blue, crystal clear sea. With a vast array of colourful boats, traditional gulets and luxury yachts in the busy harbour, bathing platforms galore and wonderful Ottoman-Greek buildings set up as chic boutiques and gift shops, Kalkan is a fabulous base for your holiday. The town’s unique, friendly shops sell textiles, clothes, ‘designer’ handbags and very pretty jewellery. You can peruse the menus for tasty Turkish mezes, zesty salads and fresh fish at the restaurants surrounding the boat-filled bay or higher up the hill. There are a number of chill-out beach clubs with cabanas and bathing platforms. The yacht club is excellent for sunset cocktails. This chic fishing town offers so much. You can venture up the hill to fabulous trout farms for dinner. Springs were diverted from the mountains into the village of Islamar which led to a thriving trout farming industry. Not only will you be served delicious fresh fish, the views from the restaurant terraces are breathtaking.
At least one day of your holiday should be taken out at sea. Boat trips can be taken from Kalkan harbour. Taking a trip on a traditional gulet is a wonderful experience and usually comes with a traditional meal. Some trips explore the nearby beautiful bays, beaches and sea caves while others go further to Kekova, one of the most beautiful areas of the Turkish coast. Some trips go overland to the village of Ucaoyz and then by glass-bottom boat. All of the trips include fabulous swim stops. Romantic moonlight cruises and sunset trips are also very popular.
There are numerous stunning beaches to visit including Patara Beach and Kaputas Beach.
Kalamar Bay is wonderful with The Kalkan Dive Centre and their joint company, Aqua Sports located in the bay, offering everything from scuba diving, jet skis and private boat hire to trampolines.
The slightly quieter resort of Kas is about 25 minutes away. It is also very pretty with narrow lanes, atmospheric, upmarket restaurants and beautiful shops. It is utterly charming!
If you would like to visit historical sites, then Patara is a perfect excursion. It boasts an ancient theatre, recently restored parliament building and impressive Roman baths. Also fascinating is the preserved ‘ghost village’ of Kayakoy where hundreds of deserted, Greek-style houses and churches sit eerily on the hillside. It was abandoned after the Turkish-Greek population exchange of 1923.
If you are seeking an active day you can kayak along the Dalyan River or visit the majestic and dramatic Saklikent Gorge which was opened as a national park in 1996. The gorge is 18km long and 300m deep. Visitors wade through the chilly water, climb, swim and slide through the gorge. It is exhilarating and great fun with the fresh mountain water often up to waist height. River rafting and dining by the waterside are other options at this splendid location.
The Region
Kalkan has become a boutique resort, with cobbled streets and converted Greek houses, which belonged to the Greek merchants before the exchange of population in the 1920’s. Once quiet fishing harbour, these days you are more likely to see traditional wooden gulets taking tourists to soak up rays on the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean. A boat trip is a must-do, from the boat you can snorkel and usually a delicious lunch is prepared on board. Keen walkers should check out the Lycian way for designated walking paths in the area.
You cannot come to this area without spending some time exploring the many Lycian sights, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova.
Patara is said to be where democracy started (they excavated a stone voting block) and is also said to be the birthplace of St Nicholas, who became bishop at nearby Myra. The ruins here include an ancient theatre, city walls, government building, and agora. The lighthouse on the site is said to be the earliest of its kind. Visit Patara in the late afternoon and finish the trip with a drink on the sandy beach watching the amazing sunset.
The Saklikent Gorge is a great place to visit, especially if you want to cool off in the fresh waters whilst walking up the gorge. For the more energetic there are rafts and rings to ride the flowing waters. Further down you can enjoy a day canoeing toward the beach.
Islamlar sits 8 km above Kalkan. Once the place Kalkan folk went to cool off at one of the trout farms built to make use of the mountain’s springs. Today Islamlar houses many a villa, enjoyed by Istanbul Turks who prefer a holiday in slightly cooler and cleaner air. Here the locals grow grapes and pomegranates, but you’ll mainly see the men sat gossiping next to the local teahouse. The trout farms remain a place to come for a wonderful fresh meal, or a breakfast consisting of fresh local fare. The rocket will be the freshest and most tasty you’ve ever had; and the fresh chips cooked in olive oil take some beating.
By night both Kalkan and Kas come alive. Kas has more of a bohemian feel, people ambling through the cobbled streets, passing the ancient tomb in the street, haggling for textiles, carpets and other goodies, maybe stopping for the traditional Turkish ‘maras’ ice cream, a tulip-shaped glass of tea or a wonderful kebab in the shadow of the mosque. Most of the villas in Kas are just out of town on the Cukurbag Peninsula. A reasonable (5km) taxi or Dolmus (local bus) ride into town. Be sure to try the Piyaz, a white bean salad with tahini sauce.
Travelling along the coast towards Kalkan you pass the modern marina, the children’s beach park (run by the local hotel school) and halfway to Kalkan the stunning Kaputas Beach, cut in a gorge with all different shades of turquoise in the sea.
Kalkan is a more sophisticated resort, with the villas built onto the mountainside. Evening are spent enjoying the rooftop restaurants, perched on the top of the old ‘konak’ houses. Then wandering to a seaside bar for a cocktail, after shopping for glass lanterns, Iznik pottery, handbags or pestemel towels. Do visit the ‘pastane’, local patisseries which do the most delicious morning pastries and you must try the ‘Gozleme’ pancakes at the Thursday market.
Other things to do in the area include scuba diving as the visibility is excellent, paragliding, horseriding on Patara Beach or kayaking around the sunken ruins at Kekova.
